The next day.
Since it was Saturday, Hawk went early in the morning to the apartment across from Queensboro Bridge Park.
His new place was there.
Finding it hadn't taken long.
Good, affordable apartments were hard to come by—but cheap ones? Those were everywhere.
Still, even cheap landlords refused to rent to minors. Especially when he had no guarantor.
But…
When Hawk explained he'd already been granted legal independence by the court, the landlord relented.
That morning, after Hawk signed the lease and paid six months' rent up front, the keys were his.
Closing the door behind him, he looked around at his new home.
It wasn't large.
Cramped enough to feel like life itself had been crushed into a box.
Old carpet, peeling walls.
A living room so small that with a secondhand sofa and a folding table, there was barely room to turn around.
The bedroom was no better. A bed left almost no space at all.
But—
It had everything he needed.
Most importantly, like his old place, this apartment had a fire escape that led directly to the rooftop.
That was why Hawk had begged the landlord for time to process the court papers.
And for seven hundred a month? He wasn't complaining.
He spent two days cleaning and lightly fixing it up—new mattress, a replaced showerhead, and leaving the windows open until the curry smell finally vanished.
And of course, at night, he retrieved his "treasures."
The five Chitauri weapons, wrapped in a sheet, hidden under his bed.
That evening, he bought a burger and a Coke, then climbed the fire escape to the roof.
He sat cross-legged, eating as he gazed at the stars.
With every twinkle above, stars within his Microcosmos shimmered too.
He already knew which Bronze constellation he'd ignite first.
Not Pegasus.
Not Cygnus.
Not Dragon.
But—
Phoenix!
Constellations weren't just vessels of power; they were legacies.
A Saint who awakened their Microcosmos and ignited their constellation inherited its essence.
And of the 48 Bronze constellations, none matched the Phoenix.
For the Phoenix held a property even the twelve Gold Zodiac constellations lacked—
Immortality. Rebirth.
Where Dragon's core was strength and defense, Phoenix's was "deathless" and "reborn."
The bad news?
Because of that overpowered core, Phoenix Saints were nearly impossible to come by.
In Athena's original order of 88 Saints, Phoenix had never appeared—until the late Sanctuary arc.
The good news?
This wasn't the Saint Seiya universe.
Here, Phoenix wasn't "reserved."
If he lit the Phoenix constellation within his Microcosmos, it would be his.
The Phoenix never dies, only burns and returns.
Even if killed, he wouldn't truly die—rebirth awaited.
So unless he'd gone mad, why wouldn't he choose Phoenix?
His goal had never changed.
Live. And if possible—live long, and live well.
Guided by that, Hawk began.
He gathered the twelve faint stars he had ignited by slaying Chitauri and arranged them to match Phoenix's pattern.
Phoenix required one second-magnitude star, two third-magnitude, and six fourth-magnitude.
Two fourth-magnitude combined to make a third. Two thirds became a second.
"…Two more," Hawk muttered. "Not bad. Beautiful, really."
Drinking his soda, he smiled at the half-completed Phoenix constellation glowing above his Microcosmos.
Then—
The other 47 Bronze constellations flickered faintly.
Strangely, Hawk sensed resentment from them.
But among their protests, a phoenix's cry rang out.
At that, the others fell silent.
"…."
Blinking, Hawk stared at the Phoenix constellation.
Half-lit, it radiated pride, looking down on the other constellations.
Of course.
As his first choice, the Phoenix shone with arrogance.
Phoenix is the strongest.
Hawk smirked. Shaking his head, he let it be and returned to his apartment.
Later, lying in bed, eyes closed, he thought again of Cloths.
Igniting Phoenix would grant him the immortality core.
But forging the Phoenix Cloth? That would unlock its true powers.
Like—
The Phoenix Illusion Fist, which shattered the mind, not the body.
Or the mental invasion, tearing an enemy's psyche apart.
And finally—
Its ultimate technique.
Becoming the Phoenix itself, wings ablaze, unleashing a current strong enough to annihilate all—
Hō Yoku Ten Shō (Phoenix Wings Rise to the Sky)!
…
(End of Chapter)
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